New Part 95 Rules Published in the Federal Register

Reorganized and updated FCC Personal Radio Services (PRS) Part 95 rules
have been
published
in The Federal Register.
…
Effective September 30, 2019, it will be illegal to manufacture or import
handheld portable radio equipment capable of operating under FRS rules and
under other licensed or licensed-by-rule services. 1

The updated regulation is effective September 28, 2018.

Perhaps the most significant regulatory change is the retroactive
re-classification of currently available hybrid FRS/GMRS Blister Pack,
or Bubble Pack, transceivers with an Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of
2 watts, or less, as FRS devices. This re-classification, in conjunction
with other changes to Part 95B, authorizes the license free use of these
low power transceivers on all built in channels (1–22) and increased the
power on certain FRS channels from 0.5 to 2 watts ERP.

Although
these changes
are unrelated to Part 97 they will have an impact on Hams who use Part 95
services such as FRS, GMRS, and CBRS (formerly known as CB);
and who render advice to Part 95 service users.

Summary from the Federal Register

The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopted a
comprehensive reorganization of and update to the rules governing
the Personal Radio Services (PRS). PRS provides for a wide variety
of wireless devices that are used by the general public for personal
communication uses, which include applications like walkie-talkies,
radio controlled model toys, Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), medical
implant devices and other uses. In addition to the comprehensive review
and update of the rules to reflect modern practices, the Commission
enhanced the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) to allow new digital
applications, allot additional interstitial channels and extend the
license term from five to ten years. It also allotted additional
channels to the Family Radio Service (FRS) and increased the power on
certain FRS channels from 0.5 Watts to two Watts. It also updated the
CB Radio Service to allow hands-free headsets, removed a restriction
on communicating over long distances and removed other outdated
requirements. These changes and others outlined below will update PRS
rules to be more in line with current public demands for the services
and will make the rules easier to read and find information, while also
removing outdated requirements and removing unnecessary rules. 2